Past Problems
by Sailor Elf
Summary: Patrick starts to have nightmares and hallucinations as Rene's health is beginning to show while Falcone escapes from jail, releasing anger from Duke that had been brewing beneath the surface for years.
1. Dreams From Afar

Disclaimer - Don't own the Ducks and I never will own them. Patrick/Thief au Combat, Sanyo, Rene and Alicia belong to me.

Summary – Patrick starts to have nightmares and hallucinations and he pushes away the one duck he always trusted. Rene's health is beginning to show while Falcone escapes from jail, releasing anger from Duke that had been brewing beneath the surface for years. As the others wonder what happened, secrets buried in the past begin to surface.

00000

Past Problems

Patrick slept restlessly in his bed. He tossed and turned around, hoping to finally fall asleep when he felt a breeze surrounding him.

"Combat," a soft voice whispered. "Combat, can you hear me? Are you there? I know you're here somewhere."

It sounded as if it were on the wind. Patrick bolted to his feet for he knew he heard it before on Puckworld.

"W…who's there?" he demanded, frantically looking around.

"Oh, it's nobody important. It's just little old me. Remember that we met each other seventeen years ago when you killed me," the voice said, a figure coming into view.

Alicia floated down into his view and stood before the male duck. Patrick backed away from her, total fear in his face and actions.

"Hello handsome. Did you miss me?" she asked in a sweet voice.

"What are you doing here? Why are you back to torment me again?" he replied, obviously shocked.

"I'm simply here as a reminder of your deadly past, as always. Yes, I have indeed come back. Did you think I really left?" she innocently replied.

"No! You can't be here! Rene too much reminds me of that already! She looks so much like you! Leave me alone! I had thought I'd gotten rid of you when I came here!" he screamed.

"Rene reminds you of everybody who either lived or died; Duke of those few who managed to survive your rampages and me, of those who didn't and died," explained Alicia.

She lunged for him, causing him to scream and place his arms over his head. Patrick bolted up in bed, the sweat pouring down his face. With a hand on his head, he was gasping for air. Patrick walked over to the washroom to splash cold water over his face. He leaned over the sink, his entire body trembling.

"Why now? Why - again? For a while, I thought they had stopped a long time before we arrived here on Earth," he asked, appearing as if he was going to have cry.

He went back to bed and laid down yet knowing he wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

When daylight rose over the horizon, Patrick got out of bed and left his quarters. He met up with Wildwing and Sanyo in the kitchen, who glanced over in his direction.

"Hey, Patrick, you look worn out. I've never seen you like this before," Sanyo said with a worried look on his face.

"It's nothing important, really. I just had a really rough night," he replied with a yawn.

"I heard a scream last night which came from your quarters. Did something happen?" Wildwing asked.

"N…no, nothing's wrong. Just a bad dream," he replied.

"Of course it is. It always is," a sarcastic voice called from the doorway.

The three looked to see Rene standing in the doorway, arms crossed with Duke and Mallory standing behind her. Rene walked up to Patrick, carefully watching him.

"It's true Rene. It was just a bad dream. Just like before," Patrick told her.

"Patrick, you know what I've told you…" Rene angrily started.

"And you keep telling me that!" Patrick retorted. "You know I'd rather not talk about it! I don't care what you have to say about it. It's my life, not yours!"

Rene shook her head as she watched him storm out of the room. She sighed as a worried look crossed her face.

"Do you know what's wrong?" asked Mallory.

"No, I don't. He's had them for as long as I can remember but has never told me what they're about. They've been very frightening on many occasions. Many times, he woken up screaming and has even run away from me before. There have even been times where I thought he would hurt me," Rene explained.

Duke watched Rene as she unconsciously rubbed her arm. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if anything was truly wrong. He watched her as she continued on with getting her breakfast.

00000

Patrick stormed through the hallway, barely taking any notice of anyone or anything he passed along the way. Grin stepped out of his quarters only to be pushed aside by the smaller duck. The giant duck carefully eyed Patrick, unsure what was happening now or going to happen next.

"Patrick, wait up!" he called after the thief.

Patrick stopped and turned his head enough to see who was behind him. He gave an exasperated sigh before continuing on. Grin hurried after him, hoping to talk to the troubled duck. He managed to grab Patrick by the elbow and twirl him around.

"Patrick, what is the matter?" wondered Grin.

"It's nothing that's none of your business. Now leave me alone!" he snarled at him.

"Whatever is wrong, I can help you with it. You don't have to deal with this alone," Grin told him.

Patrick narrowed his eyes, wondering what the duck's angle was moving towards. He began to back away from Grin; he was unsure he wanted any help at all. He glanced around the hall, his eyes frantically searching for something that Grin obviously couldn't see.

"She's nearby, isn't she? Where are you hiding her? I know she's here!" demanded Patrick.

"Who are you talking about? Are you talking about Mallory, Tanya or Rene?" Grin questioned.

Patrick placed his hands on the side of his head, as if trying to block some terrible noise out. His eyes were tightly shut as he began to back away from Grin, who was becoming increasingly worried. Patrick opened his eyes to see Alisia standing before him right next to Grin.

"You'll never escape me, no matter how hard you try," she whispered to him in a ghostly voice.

"Not you again," groaned Patrick.

Patrick turned and ran out of the hallway, making Grin wonder what was going on through his mind.

TBC…


	2. A Bad Turn

Grin glanced from side to side to see if he could see what the source of the thief's anguish. When he saw nothing around him, he began to head towards the kitchen. There, he was greeted by the five ducks that were already there. His stare came to Duke and Rene, the latter not appearing too well.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine?" Duke wondered.

Rene nodded her head, despite the slightly blank look in her eyes. Grin wondered what was wrong with her given that she hadn't appeared this 'depressed' since her arrival on Earth. He didn't want to say she was sick but she certainly looked like it.

"What is the matter with Patrick?" Grin wondered.

Duke shrugged his shoulders as Wildwing stepped forward.

"Shouldn't we try and find him?" he wondered.

"He'll be fine. He's done this before. Patrick will be back," Rene said.

She climbed to her feet as an alarm sounded throughout the room. All wondered what happened as a small circle lifted off of Wildwing's armour to reveal Klegghorn.

"Klegghorn, what's going on?" wondered the masked duck.

"One of your old friends escaped from prison. Falcone's on the loose. You guys, particularly Duke, know how he works," the captain told him.

Wildwind nodded before turning to the others. Duke's beak was almost in a snarl at the mention of Falcone. He slowly closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh.

"Remember that we aren't going out after revenge or anything like that," Wildwing quietly reminded him.

"I know Wildwing but you don't know the half of it," Duke said.

They allowed the others to pass by them before Wildwing decided to continue talking to Duke.

"What's wrong Duke? First, it's Patrick having bad nightmares, then Rene's not feeling well and you're acting strange with this news about Falcone. What's wrong? You didn't act like this the last time we came across him," Wildwing pointed out.

Duke gave a small sigh before shaking his head giving the leader a slightly sad glance.

"I'll tell you later Wildwing, when I'm in a better mood to talk. Now I'm going to go find Patrick to see if he's in a mood to help," Duke replied.

Wildwing nodded as the former thief ran off to find his comrade. The first place Duke looked was Patrick's quarters, only to not find him there. He hurried to other places of the Pond before arriving at the locker room and began to make his way towards the ice

"Where could he have gone? I guess for all we know, he could have left the base by now," he muttered to himself.

Duke stepped out into their bench when he heard a gasp coming from behind him. He turned his head enough to see Patrick standing in the middle of the rink, slowly backing away from him.

"Patrick, what are you doing out there?" wondered Duke.

Patrick didn't answer as he slowly turned around, as if looking for something or someone. He gave a sigh of relief before heading over to Duke.

"It's nothing Duke. I just thought I heard something," he said.

Duke carefully watched him, unsure whether or not Patrick was indeed telling the truth.

"So, what's the matter?" Patrick wondered.

"Falcone's escaped from jail…" Duke started.

The name of their former comrade caught Patrick's attention. He intently began to listen, hoping Duke would explain.

"So this is where he came to? When he disappeared, I thought he was killed but his body never recovered," Patrick said.

"Believe me; he's still alive and well but his ego's just as bad here, if not worse as on Puckworld," Duke warned him. "Now let's go!"

The two ducks hurried out of the rink, hoping to soon catch up with the others.

00000

Falcone stepped lightly over the sidewalk, passing through the alleys and streets of Anaheim like a ghost in the shadows.

"These jails are so pathetic. No match for an artiste like me," he muttered to himself.

He came to the entrance of an alley and glanced from side to side, wondering where to strike first to catch the attention of Duke and the other ducks. After his last encounter with them, he was determined to humiliate his former comrade. He silently walked up to a nearby building and grinned. He gently placed a hand on the outside before glancing around the area.

"Good, there's no one around. Time to make my move," he hissed.

Falcone slowly made his way to the roof, where he found a door leading into the building.

"This is too good to be true," he said.

He slowly made his way inside and began making his way down the stairs. When he arrived at the bottom, he grinned at the safes sitting on the ground before him.

"And it's all mine for the taking, with no one to stop me," Falcone mused.

He stepped toward one of the safes and began with his work.

00000

Nosedive and Rene were the first two to step out of the Migrator. He glanced over to her, a worried look crossing his face once he saw that she was indeed not doing well. He didn't want to say anything for fear of retaliation. They headed towards the building as the others followed. Rene placed a hand on the wall as Mallory stepped up behind her.

"I still can't believe that Falcone would be stupid enough to try and aggravate us," she mused.

"Falcone's always been the type to aggravate anyone. He's tried to overthrow my father's power for years and he's even annoyed Patrick and me about how we work together. He's even made several false implications about us," Rene told him.

Mallory leaned in towards her, hoping that none of the others would hear her.

"You know you should be resting. I can see it's affecting you again," Mallory told her.

"I'll be fine. I've lived through it once, I can do it again," Rene retorted.

Mallory was inwardly stunned by the reaction as Wildwing walked up behind the two. When she took notice of him, she hoped that she didn't he didn't hear anything.

"Rene and Nosedive, you two head inside first. Try to figure out where he is but do not confront him until we get there," Wildwing told them.

They nodded before Rene led the way inside. Wildwing watched them, hoping that nothing would go wrong. Mallory carefully eyed Rene, worried that something might happen and it would quickly happen.

00000

Rene and Nosedive made their way further into the building, hoping to find Falcone fast. Nosedive grew nervous with each passing step, remembering what happened the last time the thief.

"I don't like this at all. Falcone is a thieving bastard. I know he'll try and kill us," Nosedive muttered.

"He can be harmless if you find his weak point but it's not his ego. It's something else, I never figured out what it is," Rene barely said.

They walked further into the building when they came to a doorway. They peeked inside to find Falcone hovering over the safes, trying to pry them open.

"There he is, now let's call 'Wing!" Nosedive quietly said.

Without answering, Rene barged into the room, grabbing her saber along the way. Nosedive tried to grab her arm but she was just out of reach. He began to run after her, hoping to stop her before she hurt herself.

"Rene!" he cried out.

That caught Falcone's attention and he turned to face the two young ducks. He smirked once he saw who it was.

"My, my Rene, it is so nice to see you again. I'd love to know how you got here but I can't worry about that. You and your pitiful friend will die soon enough," he told them.

"But not before you," she snarled at him.

She lunged for him and the sabers connected. Rene gritted her teeth before Falcone grabbed her wrist. He lifted her enough so that she dropped the arm holding the saber. Rene made a hopeless grasp at his arm to free herself but she soon drooped her head. Falcone smirked as he watched her fall into unconsciousness and dropped her to the ground.

"Rene!" cried Nosedive.

00000

Patrick and Duke drove up to the scene on the bikes. They climbed off and stepped up to the others.

"What's going on?" Duke wondered.

Wildwing, Grin and Tanya all glanced in his direction, giving a sigh. It was at that moment that Patrick realized that neither Rene nor Nosedive was around.

"Where are the kids?" Patrick asked.

"They're in there. They were supposed to contact us with some sort of news but they haven't yet," Tanya told them.

Grin carefully watched Duke and Patrick. He could see the fear still lingering in Patrick's eyes and the anger slowly welling up inside Duke.

'_What did happen to them? There has to be more in their history than what they're letting on,'_ Grin told himself.

A small beeping soon filled everyone's ears. Wildwing opened up his communicator to see his brother's face.

"Baby bro, what's going on in there?" he demanded.

_"We have a problem bro. We found Falcone but Rene decided to attack," _Nosedive reported.

"Perfect. What else could go wrong?" Wildwing sighed.

"_I can tell you what else bro. While fighting Falcone, Rene fell unconscious. She needs some help in here and soon,"_ Nosedive said.

The colour drained from Mallory's face once she heard that news. Her stared turned towards the building and began to step towards it. Duke managed to take a few steps, unsure what to think.

"No!" cried Mallory.

"Rene!" yelled Duke.

TBC…


	3. Truths Come Out

"Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have allowed her to come with us the instant I saw the signs!" Mallory cursed.

"She definitely takes after both of us," Duke mused.

He stepped to Mallory's side, as she gave him a curious look for an explanation. He cocked his head to one side while eyeing the building.

"But what I can remember from on Puckworld, Rene's always been stubborn, just like me and her mother. Alicia never gave up, even at the end," Duke finally explained.

Mallory gave a sad look before turning to Wildwing, no one noticing Patrick pale at the mere mention of the female's name.

"What should we do next?" she wondered.

"We have to get them out of there. Duke, Patrick, head inside any which way you can. We'll take the direct approach," Wildwing told them.

The two thieves nodded before starting to head towards the rooftop. They made their way to a grate and pulled it away from the building. Duke finally noticed that Patrick didn't seem all that well so he stopped with what he was doing.

"What's wrong?" Duke wondered.

It was as if Patrick didn't hear him as he continued to stare out into space. Duke waved a hand out in front of Patrick's face and that caught his attention.

"Patrick, we all know Rene's sick but are you ill as well?" Duke asked him.

The dark-haired duck shook his head, a sad smile on his face.

"Rene's the closest thing I've ever had to a family. I'd hate to see anything happen to her. I owe her more than anyone realizes," Patrick explained.

Duke barely lowered his head, knowing what it like to not have a family for so long. The two slowly made their way into the building, hoping they weren't too late.

00000

Nosedive gasped in horror as he watched Rene tremble. Falcone stepped closer to him, snickering along the way.

"You'll never be able to help her now. She reminds me of another female duck that I once knew," Falcone told him.

"Oh really? I'm surprised you know more than one female. How'd you know this one?" wondered Nosedive.

Nosedive's arm remained upright, gun in hand as it moved with Falcone's every move. His saber materialized and he lowered it slightly, as if planning something.

"It was seventeen years ago that I knew her. Alicia was her name and she was also Duke's lover. That was their first mistake since they knew Thief au Combat was going to come after them for it for she wasn't a thief. They were both beyond help for Combat killed her and severely injured him. Duke almost didn't make it through that ordeal between his injuries and the fact he lost both his one true love and his newborn daughter. Have you ever wondered how Duke lost his eye?," Falcone explained.

Nosedive stepped back, the horror written all over his face. He dropped the arm holding the puck gun. He glanced over at Rene before lifting the gun back up and firing.

"Eat this!" Nosedive snarled.

Falcone easily dodged the puck and gave the younger duck a laugh. Nosedive tried to make his way to Rene and found that circling Falcone was far too easy. He ran up to Rene and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Rene, we have to get going," Nosedive told her.

Falcone stepped toward them, shaking his head.

"You just made my job a lot easier. Pick her up and start walking! Unless you want me to ease her passing and speed up yours," he mused.

Nosedive growled as he gently picked Rene up. He began to back away from the thief when a slam caught their attention. Duke and Patrick crashed through the roof and landed on the ground. Duke growled as he grabbed his saber and began to step towards Falcone.

"You're going to pay for what you've done Falcone," Duke told him.

"Going to pay for what? We've tormented each other for years now," Falcone demanded to know.

"I'll never forget what you did to me all those years ago. You abandoned Alicia and me when we needed help, to save yourself from Combat. I'll never forgive you for it," Duke told him.

Falcone snickered as he moved forward to face Duke. He never noticed how Patrick carefully watched him, the fear overwhelming inside of him. Flashes of that night began to appear before him.

'_I remember now. Falcone_ was _indeed there. How could I have been so stupid? Why is this happening? So many reminders of that night are coming back to haunt me,'_ Patrick thought to himself.

He placed his hands on each side of his head, trying to block out the memories but it wasn't working too well. He fell to his knees as the rest of the ducks burst into the room.

"If it isn't the rest of the Mighty Saps come out to play. As much as you want to get your hands on me, you won't," Falcone told him.

As the two thieves glared at each other, Sanyo and Mallory took to one side to get Nosedive out from behind the two. As Nosedive took each step, he never took his eyes off of Falcone, not knowing when he would lash back. Once he knew he could escape, he hurried towards Mallory, who began to lead him to the Migrator. Sanyo watched them leave, worried thoughts running through his mind.

'_I pray that she makes it through this,'_ he thought.

His stare went back to the others but it very quickly came to Patrick, who appeared to be having his internal struggle again.

"Patrick?" he questioned.

The thief's answer came when he grabbed his saber, materializing on its way up.

"Not again," Patrick cried.

The ghostly form of Alicia floated over to Falcone, giving a laugh as she placed an arm around his shoulder.

"_So you _do_ remember him after all. I was afraid that this little insignificant face would go unnoticed, like most of your other victims. You never recognized Duke or Falcone in over 17 years of working right next to them. That is very ironic,"_ she giggled.

She slowly began to walk towards him, the smile remaining on her face as if mocking him. Patrick started to back away from her, dropping his saber along the way before deciding to bolt. He didn't make it very far when something grabbed his arms and firmly held him in place.

"Let go of me!" he yelled out.

"Grin's not going to let you go until we get back to the Pond. You have some explaining to do. This is far more serious than Rene said it was," he heard Wildwing say.

Patrick still protested by pulling his arms but soon gave in to the stronger duck. His stare turned to Duke, who was still facing Falcone. Duke lunged forward, his saber connecting with Falcone's.

"This time, you've got nothing to use in an advantage over me," Duke snarled.

When Falcone felt himself being pushed back, he was well more than surprised.

"What's gotten into you?" he demanded.

It appeared Duke didn't hear him as he pushed Falcone back against the wall. He lifted his saber, prepared to bring it down on his former comrade.

"Duke, wait!" Wildwing cried. "Tanya, Sanyo, come with me."

The three ducks dashed towards Duke. Wildwing lunged and tackled Duke to the ground, allowing Falcone to start fleeing the scene.

"Go after him!" Wildwing told them.

The two nodded before leaving after him. Duke snarled again as he tried to free himself from the leader's grip.

"What are you doing? Can't you see I have to deal with him?" Duke demanded to know.

"Not like this. We're taking you back and we're going to have a nice long talk," Wildwing replied. "You're going to thank me later for this."

Wildwing quickly stood up, allowing Duke to do the same. Wildwing moved away several steps before he fired a puck in the thief's direction. Gas was released from the sides, engulfing Duke who began to cough before falling to the floor, unconscious. Wildwing glanced at Grin, the fear in his eyes that he made the wrong decision.

"Wildwing!" a male voice called out to him.

The leader turned around to see Tanya and Sanyo walking back.

"He got away," Tanya sighed.

Wildwing didn't reply as he motioned for them to head back to the Migrator and they nodded. Wildwing and Grin soon followed them with Patrick and Duke in hand.

00000

Mallory burst into the Migrator, frantically searching for a place for Rene. Nosedive watched her, confused as to why Mallory was so anxious.

"Over here, Nosedive," she finally told him.

He nodded and did as she requested. Mallory placed a hand on the side of Rene's face to see if she was conscious at all but she wasn't.

"Great. This is not good. I have to wonder if she's got any medication left," Mallory muttered.

"'Medication'? Why would she need any medication for?" wondered Nosedive.

Mallory didn't answer as she ripped the sleeve off of Rene's left arm. She pulled back the thumb, causing Nosedive to wince. When he noticed that Rene never flinched, he was shocked as his stare went to Mallory.

"You once said you and Wildwing heard the story that Sanyo told at Digit San. What was the part of the story involving the child when Combat took custody of her?" Mallory wondered.

"Sanyo had said that the child involved had gotten some disease…" started Nosedive, realizing what Mallory was getting at.

He watched as a small section of Rene's arm moved, revealing a small vial of liquid. Mallory picked it up and held it in front of Nosedive for him to see.

"I know she's going to hate me for telling someone but it's really unavoidable now. Rene's got cancer, Nosedive and it's already cost her part of her arm," Mallory explained.

TBC…


	4. Family Feuds

"Mallory, you've got to seriously be wrong here. How could she have cancer? Out of all the times I've seen her, she's been fine," Nosedive wondered.

"It was most likely in remission. Rene was one of the lucky ones when I saw she had this strain," Mallory told him.

Nosedive narrowed his eyes, confused to what she meant. Mallory saw this and proceeded to explain.

"She has tytoxia, one of the more rare types of cancer. The thing with this strain is that it attacks anywhere and progresses from there. It happened to strike her left arm first and I guess it's affecting her again but I can't tell where. All I can figure is that it's progrssing from her arm again," Mallory explained.

Before Nosedive could open his beak to say anything else, the sound of loud voices was heard outside the Migrator. Scuffling could be heard before the back hatch opened and Wildwing ran inside. Grin soon followed him, trying to hold down Patrick. Tanya and Sanyo soon followed with Duke.

"What happened out there bro?" Nosedive wondered.

"Something's wrong with these two. Patrick tried to run from Falcone and Duke tried to kill him. I'd like to know why," Wildwing explained.

Nosedive kept quiet as he watched his brother and the others tie the still struggling Patrick and the unconscious Duke to chairs. He wondered what really happened between all of them. All were confused as they headed back to the Pond.

00000

Duke slowly opened his eyes, the view carefully coming into view. He glanced to one side to see Patrick sitting on a nearby bed, a shocked look on his face. Duke soon realized where they were and understood why it was to be that way.

"I see you're down here again," Duke mentioned.

There was no response from Patrick, making Duke wonder if the thief slash former murderer had even heard him.

"I could say the same to you," Patrick suddenly said. "I see the feud between you and Falcone took a turn for the worse."

Duke gave a sigh, not wanting to say anything about that. Patrick watched Duke out of the corner of his eye, wondering how deep their feud went.

"Duke, the way I see it, I think I started the hatred between you and Falcone," Patrick barely said.

The thief stared at Patrick, unsure what to think of this 'confession'. Duke turned his stare to the other wall, unsure how to answer it.

"You didn't start it Patrick. It was simmering underneath the surface for a long time before you came along. It finally came out the night you killed Alicia and I thought Rene was dead," Duke told him.

They soon heard a noise coming from nearby and saw that Grin and Mallory had stepped into the room.

"So the Mighty Ducks have come to see us. I wasn't expecting visitors," Patrick said with a small smile.

"Can it Patrick. This is serious. Rene's life is on the line and you know it," Mallory retorted.

Patrick immediately shut his beak, knowing what was coming: he had gone to the treatments and fittings with her for so long it had become routine for him. Duke was extremely worried for he also knew what she was going to say.

"Rene's cancer has returned. We are going through our limited options since this cancer is foreign to this planet," Mallory explained.

The thieves glanced at each other, giving sad looks to each other before turning back to the two ducks standing outside the cells.

"It just had to be around the time for Rene to head back for her checkup. We both thought we'd be back to Puckworld before now," Patrick mentioned.

Mallory sighed before she headed out of the room, not wanting to stay away from Rene for so long. Grin remained and pulled up a chair, sitting in it.

"Do you care to tell me the story?" he asked.

"What's there to tell?" Duke wondered.

Grin began to think of what he remembered of the story Sanyo said happened around the walls of Digit San. As much as the red-haired knew about the story, Grin now felt there was something missing. It was something that Grin felt wasn't going to come out very easily. As the names began to emerge to the four fleeing Thief au Combat that night, the story began to make more sense and confusing at the same time.

"Patrick, Duke, when the two of you confessed to being around Digit San the night Rene's mother died, many questions lingered between the others and I," Grin told them.

"Like I said, what's there to tell? It happened," Duke replied.

"Something serious must have happened between you and Falcone in order for you to attack him like you did. You were there Patrick, what do you feel about it?" Grin posed.

Both remained quiet, not wanting to look anywhere else but at the floor. It was Duke who decided to speak up first, breaking the silence he kept for so long.

"If you must know, Falcone was one of the two that was with Alicia and me. He abandoned us when we needed help the most. My daughter could have been with me this whole time if it wasn't for him or the other duck," Duke explained.

Grin was inwardly happy for it was a start. He turned towards Patrick, hoping to get an answer out of him.

"When Rene first came to stay with me, I thought about the night that she first escaped my grasp. She reminds me of everyone, Grin. Of every single duck I ever attacked and killed," Patrick sighed.

Grin carefully eyed both of the thieves, wondering if all of their feelings were going to come out with the recent events. When it appeared they weren't going to say anymore, Grin silently stood up and began to walk out of the room.

"Grin," Duke called after him.

"Yes Duke?" Grin said.

Grin turned enough to see the duck, who silently stood at the front of the cell.

"You will let us know about Rene, right?" he barely asked.

Grin smiled and nodded before heading towards the infirmary.

00000

Mallory held a hand up to her beak, the worry evident in her eyes as Grin stepped up to her side. She never looked in his direction as they watched Tanya look over the computer, Wildwing by her side. Sanyo and Nosedive were on either side of the unconscious Rene.

"Did you get anything out of them?" she suddenly asked.

"Yes, I did but now is not the time," Grin replied.

Mallory nodded before heading over to Tanya and Wildwing.

"Anything yet?" she wondered.

"Not yet. I've analyzed the medication that you gave me Mallory. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do with that. Some of the ingredients are only found on Puckworld and I don't know if we should use the only does we had," Tanya told her.

Mallory didn't say anything, mentally reprimanded herself for forgetting such a detail. Wildwing placed a hand on her arm, and she barely flinched.

"Mallory, do you think any of the methods on Earth would work?" he wondered.

"I'm not sure if they would or not but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try," she barely said.

Wildwing nodded before starting to head towards the door leading to the cells. Mallory twirled around, slight confusion in her eyes.

"Well, the doctors will have to get Duke's consent since she's under their age of majority and unable to speak for herself even if she weren't," he told her.

Mallory nodded, completely forgetting yet another detail in her grief. She watched Sanyo out of the corner of her eye. She closed her eyes before heading out of the room. Both Sanyo and Grin watched her leave both following her.

00000

Mallory stepped up to the door of her quarters and stopped, hearing the footsteps of two others behind her.

"Sanyo, I'm not in the mood to talk to you," growled Mallory.

"I'm not asking for your permission. As far as I've known, I've never had it," Sanyo angrily replied.

He stepped up behind her, crossing his arms and obviously angry. Mallory noticed Grin not too far off and was tempted to ask him to leave them alone.

"I'm not leaving just yet Mallory. We need to talk," he told her, as if sensing her question.

Mallory gave an angry sigh, shaking her head before placing a finger on Sanyo's shoulder.

"Sanyo, just because you're my older brother, that doesn't mean you can tell me how to live my life either! If you did, Rene would be dead right now whether it was from Thief au Combat or the cancer!" Mallory yelled at him.

"And for your information, S_is, _Duke wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for _me_! I was the one who found him lying in the snow that night!" Sanyo yelled right back.

TBC…


	5. Out for Answers

"Wasn't expecting that piece of info, were you Mallory?" wondered Sanyo.

Mallory growled before she slammed her hand against the wall, not caring who saw her. Grin slowly moved closer to the two siblings, hoping to help solve this rivalry.

"Duke hasn't said anything about you since we found out he was there the night that Alicia died. How can we certain it was you?" Mallory demanded.

"You can take my word for it! You have to for he was unconscious the whole way to the hospital. He never saw me for I left before he awoke!" Sanyo retorted.

Mallory was almost to punching him in the face for not telling her earlier but she managed to resist.

"Stop this, both of you!" Grin told them.

He stood in between so they couldn't get in each other's face anymore. Mallory turned her back on both of them, snorting as she crossed her arms.

"It looks like a lot of us have to come to terms with the past," Grin said.

Sanyo gave a laugh in disbelief as he looked at Grin. Mallory also gave a laugh as she turned her head enough to see the giant duck.

"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard Grin. I regret nothing that I did that night or any other night in the next four years," Mallory retorted.

Sanyo nodded in agreement but Grin apparently didn't think the same way. They could tell by the look on his face. They knew something was going through his mind yet they couldn't figure out what exactly.

"We have to find Falcone and bring him here. Whether the two of you want to believe it or not, I feel he can help us alleviate some of the ghosts around here," Grin said.

Mallory and Sanyo were both confused as they looked at him with curious eyes. They followed him back to the infirmary, hoping that he would give them some answers.

00000

Duke stared at the ceiling, every second dragging on. He never figured that the cells would ever be used again after Patrick was released the first time. In fact, it was the only time they were really used.

"Patrick," he called.

"What is it Duke?" Patrick wondered.

Duke stood up and walked over to the bars. Patrick followed suit out of curiousity. As Patrick watched the other duck, Duke closed his one eye before balling up his fist. Patrick didn't know what hit him when the next thing he saw was stars. He recoiled from the pain, gingerly touching the area that was recently struck.

"What was that for?" Patrick demanded.

"That was for making me lose my sanity. I may have lived through that night but I didn't just have emotional pain from losing Alicia and believing I lost my only child, but I also had my physical pain. It took me a long time recover from both. I've wanted to give that to you for 17 years now," Duke explained.

Patrick didn't say anything else for he knew he deserved it. He knew that despite the fact that Rene was still alive; Duke missed out on several years of fatherhood and didn't even know it.

"I've never wondered about that night or if you had ever survived," Patrick sighed.

He leaned against the wall and slid down it until he hit the ground. It was at that moment that the two heard footsteps and Wildwing stepped through the door. Duke seemed anxious to hear what the team leader had to say.

"We can't make her medication here since some of the ingredients are native to only Puckworld. One of the ideas we had was to see if any of the methods here on Earth would help," Wildwing explained.

Duke nodded, understanding that it had to be done. He didn't want to lose her so soon after finding her. He was soon broken out of his concentration when a soft beeping filled the room. Wildwing answered the communicator to find Klegghorn back on the line.

"We've been keeping an eye out for Falcone after you let us know that he fled. We believe he's breaking into another building on the north side of the city," Klegghorn told him.

"I hear you. We'll be on our way," Wildwing told him.

He glanced between the two thieves. Their interest peaked once they heard Falcone's name.

"Not this time. I can't have the two of you breaking down on us again," Wildwing explained.

Patrick narrowed his eyes as he stared closer at the area behind the team leader. A figure was forming in the background and he knew who it was going to be. She placed a hand on Wildwing's shoulder and arm.

"I'm back, sweetheart. Did you miss me?" Alicia said in a sweet voice.

Patrick covered his ears, not wanting to hear her voice but fate was playing with him and he knew it.

"Alicia, why can't you ever leave me alone?" he absently moaned.

Both Duke and Wildwing were greatly surprised when they heard the name for they weren't expecting to hear it in that context. Duke

"Alicia's here? How is that possible? She's dead," Duke protested.

Wildwing stepped towards the cell, both he and Duke wondering if she was the reason for the way Patrick was reacting.

"It would make the most sense though Duke. Someone that he killed is tormenting him in his mind for the things he's done?" Wildwing said.

Duke thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"But you'd better get going or lese you won't catch up with Falcone. I'll keep an eye on Patrick," Duke told the leader.

Wildwing nodded before he headed out of the room.

00000

Wildwing ran into the Migrator to find Mallory, Sanyo, and Grin waiting for him.

"Where's Nosedive and Tanya?" he wondered.

"Tanya decided it would be best if she stayed behind to keep an eye on Rene. Nosedive didn't want to leave Rene either," Mallory replied.

Wildwing's eyes flew up in surprise at the response. Nosedive was always prepared for action and enjoyed it whenever he could it. His younger brother not coming for a young female duck was astonishing.

'_Maybe he likes having someone around that's his own age. He might feel it's someone he can talk to, despite the fact she's been brought up differently,'_ Wildwing thought to himself.

The four hurried out to the north end of town, hoping that they would indeed find Falcone waiting for them at the bank.

00000

Falcone snickered to himself as he picked up the gems off the table.

"This is so good. They won't catch me. Not with Duke in the state that he's in right now. Patrick's finally gone crazy and dear Rene has gone sick on them. I wonder what they'll do now," Falcone mused.

He picked up the last of the gems and began to head towards the door when he heard a noise nearby.

"You're not going anywhere this time Falcone," he soon heard someone say.

Falcone turned to see Mallory standing in one of the doorways, prepared for anything.

"You don't scare me. After all, the first time we met, you thought Duke had betrayed the lot of you," Falcone retorted.

"I realize now that he didn't but we're not here over Duke's loyalties, we're apparently here over yours," Mallory replied.

Falcone was slightly confused before he turned towards the other doorways to find them occupied by three other ducks.

"What makes you think you can catch me, let alone get me to talk?" he wondered.

"We'll deal with the talking part after we've caught you," Wildwing replied.

Falcone looked between the four of them as they slowly began to walk towards him. He gave a smile that none of them liked before turning towards the team leader.

"You forget how agile we thieves can be," Falcone told them.

He began to pull out his saber when Wildwing gave a motion of his arm. The next thing he knew, Falcone was crashing to the floor with a slight weight on top of him. The thief looked to see Mallory holding him down.

"You've forgotten how quick we can be Falcone. You're coming with us whether you like it or not," Wildwing said.

Sanyo glanced over at Grin, hoping that the larger duck's theory of needing Falcone would be correct. Grin noticed him looking at him and closed his eyes.

"You may know quite a bit about Thief au Combat my friend but you do not know everything. There are things going on in his mind that cannot be solved with the flip of a switch. He needs help from the ghosts of his past," Grin told him.

"Pashaw! You are an idiot! Thief au Combat is nowhere near Earth! Except for Duke, I would know more than any of you since I witnessed one of his rampages," Falcone protested.

The four glanced at each other before Grin picked up Falcone by his cape. Mallory snickered, crossing her arms as she stood next to him.

"Should we tell him?" wondered Mallory.

"No, let us wait. Duke will probably want to see the reaction," Grin suggested.

Falcone looked at the four with a confused look on his face. The next thing he knew, the world went black.

TBC…


	6. Secrets out of the Past

Falcone slowly opened his eyes, his sight gradually returning to him. He glanced around to see where he was to find himself yet again in another cell only this time, it wasn't of human design. Falcone soon realized that he wasn't alone.

"Well, if it isn't the two betrayers," he smirked.

"Shut up Falcone. I'm not in the mood and I know that Patrick especially doesn't want to see your face right now," Duke snarled at him.

Falcone turned his stare towards Patrick, who was facing the wall on his knees. His hands were entangled in his long black hair. His forehead was resting on the wall and it looked like he was close to tears.

"What's wrong with him?" Falcone wondered.

"I'm now guessing it's a lot of things. You, me, Alicia, Rene…" started Duke.

"What has Rene got in common with you, me and the witch you called a lover?" protested Falcone.

Duke growled as he grabbed the bars as strongly as he could. He wanted to break through them in order to get at Falcone. He growled loudly enough for Falcone to hear him.

"Take that back you filthy, no good traitor!" Duke snapped at him.

"I'm a traitor? Have you taken a look in the mirror lately? You abandoned the Brotherhood!" Falcone spat out.

"I'm not talking about when Dragaunus attacked Puckworld. I'm talking about Thief au Combat and his rampages all those years ago," Duke snarled.

Falcone laughed at the remark as he sat down on the chair provided tp him.

"Duke, Thief au Combat is nowhere near here and even if he were, he wouldn't have any trouble tracking us down," Falcone told him.

"How do you know he isn't here Falcone? Have you ever seen his face?" Duke wondered.

"No but I don't have to see it to know he's dead. That's why the murders stopped. He met his match though I am surprised it never came out in the news," Falcone smirked.

Patrick's head slowly rose, as he was barely listening in to what the two were saying. There was blankness in his eyes that neither had seen before in him. He walked over to Falcone little by little before grabbing the falcon by the throat.

"You'd better be careful what you say, you insolent bastard. Don't think I won't kill you right now. I know the citizens of Puckworld don't miss you and neither do we," Patrick barely said.

Falcone gasped for air, trying to glance over at Duke for an explanation.

"As a matter of fact, they don't miss me at all after all that I've done to them," Patrick told him.

Falcone tried to speak but was soon seeing stars in front of his eyes. He began to fall limp in Patrick's hand and the dark-haired duck dropped him onto the floor. Duke watched in amazement as Patrick calmly walked back to the wall.

"Listen Patrick, I know the guy is annoying but…" Duke began.

"He's not dead. Far from it actually and don't tell me otherwise. I've seen enough death in my lifetime to know," Patrick replied.

00000

Mallory and Wildwing watched the scene from another room and both found it slightly disturbing.

"I don't know if that it was such a good idea," Mallory stated.

"What? Leave them alone in the same room? I realized that a long time ago but I know that if any one of us were there, the tension between them might not be solved," Wildwing explained.

"Maybe we should have Grin in there. He's the one who first gave the notion that we should bring him. He thought it would sort out the many ghosts around here," Mallory suggested.

Wildwing watched her, unsure what she meant by the 'many ghosts'. He soon noticed the sad stare on her face. Wildwing didn't want to press but hoped she would express her feelings.

"Don't worry about me Wildwing. I'm worried about Rene. Her cancer's come back in full force and I don't know if any of the treatments here will work," she quietly said.

Wildwing remained silent as his stare went back to the three thieves, take note of when Mallory left the room.

00000

Nosedive sat next to Tanya, watching her every move as she maneuvered around the table that Rene was laying on.

"Do you think she'll be fine Tanya?" Nosedive suddenly piped up.

"I hope so Nosedive, for Duke's sake," she replied.

Nosedive watched Tanya further as she picked up Rene's left arm and studied it. They soon heard steps enter the room and they looked to see Mallory.

"The prosthetic arm looks absolutely fantastic! Where did she get one like this?" wondered Tanya.

"I've been part of Puckword's military for quite some time now. During my time there, I helped in some studies to help find cures for several rare Puckworld diseases. The one that interested me the most was tytoxia to which I soon became an expert with what knowledge was available," Mallory explained.

She walked over to Rene and stood across from Tanya. The blonde watched as the redhead carefully studied the sleeping face of the young duck that she rescued.

"Rene came to me one day after visiting the guards at Digit San, complaining of pain in her left arm. Amazing duckling she was for she apparently had it for several days without saying a word about it. Unfortunately for her, I saw that she had the signs of the cancer," Mallory continued.

Nosedive's interest began to perk up as the story was being told. He remained in his seat, impatiently waiting for Mallory to start up again.

"I took her to the military doctors for them to confirm my suspicions and the fact that it was too late. The cancer had spread too far and there was nothing they could do except amputate her arm at the elbow. So they gave her the prosthetic arm. It was something they were working on for ducks like her. When she was ready to leave, they gave her the medication and instructed me when to bring her back," Mallory said.

The two watched as Mallory sat down in a nearby chair, remembering the days when she had Rene in her custody. She gave a sad smile as she held her hands in front of her and lowered her head.

"It's a long story with Rene, between the government, Combat and her cancer. When her custody was forced onto him several days later, I was devastated, thinking she would be dead within a very short time," Mallory explained.

"That's a great story and all Mallory but that still doesn't explain how Rene, Patrick and Sanyo got here," Nosedive suddenly injected.

Mallory gave a deep sigh, wondering if she should indeed tell them the truth. She stood up and stared at Rene, hoping that she would make the right decision in letting the others know.

"It's in her arm," Mallory replied.

That caught the attention of both Tanya and Nosedive. Their heads perked up in anticipation and curiousity for neither knew exactly what she meant by that.

"She has a portable dimensional gateway in her arm. They were developing the technology years ago. Soon came the time when rivals were looking for it, they gave it to her in order to hide it. They eventually told her it was there and I'm assuming how to use it. I guess Dragaunus eventually found out about it and it used it to bring them here," Mallory replied.

"What?" Nosedive and Tanya cried out in unison.

"When were you going to mention this exactly?" asked the teenager.

"I'm not sure. I guess when we defeated Dragaunus," Mallory told them.

Tanya carefully thought about what she was recently told, confused about something.

"Mallory, I thought you said before you thought Rene was dead," she questioned.

Both Nosedive and Tanya watched as Mallory glanced over at Rene, a bit unsure how to answer the question.

"Well, I knew she was alive because the scientists kept me informed after I had been transferred but when she came to Earth, I wasn't sure if she was indeed the same one. I never did see Combat's face the two times I came into contact with him and you know ducks change their looks as they get older," Mallory explained.

Tanya nodded in reply, slightly happy thoughts at the idea that they had a chance to get home. Nosedive placed a hand on Rene's left arm. He noticed how lifelike and warm it felt to the touch and was surprised for he expected it to be slightly cool.

00000

Duke paced back and forth, anxiously waiting for any news about his daughter. He continually glanced over at Patrick and Falcone, the latter still not awake from his recent strangulation. He sighed as he glanced over at the door, wishing and hoping that someone would walk through at any second when he heard some coughing.

"Look who's finally awake," he absently said.

"Shut up Duke. If I wanted to hear your thoughts, I would have asked," Falcone retorted.

"Hey, I'm not the one who disturbed Patrick," Duke laughed

Falcone growled, not noticing the footsteps heading towards the cells. He lunged for the bars as Grin walked into the room.

"I will not be humiliated by the likes of you or Patrick. Thief au Combat has already done that once," Falcone snarled.

Grin shook his head, inwardly amused at the irony of that statement. He stepped over to Patrick's cell to find him still huddled in the corner.

"Have you come to kill me now? If you have, get on with it. It's probably the best thing you can do for me at the moment," Patrick told him.

"You can get through this Patrick, I know you can. If you can face your past, then you will be able to get through this," Grin told him.

"Face my past? Face my past!" Patrick repeated before lunging towards him. "If I could face my past, things will be a hell of a lot different."

"What past does someone like you have to face anyway? You're a thief, just like three others in this building. Thieves have no regrets about anything," Falcone mused.

Patrick gave a deep sigh before storming over to stare Falcone in the face.

"You think it's easy for me to see you here Falcone? It's bad enough that Rene reminds me every single day of my life over what I've done, I find out Duke is her father and you were there the night I killed Alicia. I now recognize you from when you were trying to escape from Digit San, fleeing for your life," Patrick angrily replied.

Falcone gave a horrified look as he finally realized who he was talking to.

"Thief au Combat," he barely said.

TBC…


	7. A New Direction

"Y-you're Thief au Combat? But how is that possible?" wondered Falcone.

"It's simple really. You believed that Thief au Combat died but nothing concerning his identity came out of it? Well, here's what happened. I had to take care of Rene and so I slunk further into the shadows than what I already was. Now I can't understand why they brought you here to find this out about me," Patrick replied.

Patrick released Falcone and began to slink to the back of the cell again. Falcone was at a loss for words with this recent news. He glanced towards Duke, anger beginning to appear on his face. Duke began to laugh at the reaction his former comrade gave.

"And how long have you know this?" demanded Falcone.

"I've known this since after they came from Puckworld and they switched sides," Duke replied.

Duke sat down on the chair, now barely listening to all the noises around him. He wanted to kill Falcone very much at the moment but knew he couldn't for more than one reason. Falcone continually looked over at Patrick, wondering if the duck would listen if he said anything.

"Patrick…" he began.

"Shut up before I come strangle you again. I'm having enough trouble as it is without you talking to me," Patrick warned.

"Listen to me for a moment, please…" Falcone began again.

Patrick angrily stood back up and stormed over to Falcone. He tried to grab for Falcone's cape but just missed when the falcon stepped back but decided to continue anyway.

"No, you listen to me. I've had to live with the fact that I've killed so many ducks when I was known as Thief au Combat. Do you think I like living with reminders every single day? There have been so many things that I've done which I regret but I just can't shake them off and I don't know how," Patrick replied.

He lowered his head slightly and gave a deep sigh, closing his eyes. Grin, who remained quiet the whole time stepped up to Patrick's cell and placed a hand on a bar.

"Now with all my power, I can't even save the one who has become my greatest ally," Patrick barely said.

"It's not your fault that this happened to her, nor do you have to continue living with this pain," Grin told him.

"It's too late for me and her. The ghosts of my past won't stop haunting me," Patrick quietly replied.

Falcone glanced over at Duke, the bewilderment evident in his eyes. Duke saw this and looked away for a moment.

"It's Rene. She's dying," Duke quietly told him.

That news put a slight knot in Falcone's stomach. He wasn't that fond of the younger duck but he didn't want to see her dead at an age as 17.

00000

Mallory paced back and forth. She was very anxious to get Rene to the hospital as quickly as possible but they had to wait for the hospital to get prepared. Nosedive, Wildwing, Sanyo and Tanya were all watching her the whole time.

"Mallory, you'd better stop or you'll wear a hole in the floor," Sanyo finally told her.

"I can't sit down Sanyo. I'm too worried," Mallory managed to say.

Sanyo stood up and grasped her elbow, causing her to stop. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, not really in the mood to talk to her brother.

"We're all worried Mallory. I can imagine Duke and Patrick are probably jumping out of their tail feathers right now over this," Sanyo said.

Mallory gave a deep breath before turning to fully face him.

"Listen to me and listen closely. Just because you're my brother, doesn't mean you can tell me the obvious and what I do should or think. I don't see Rene the teenager on that table. I see Rene the four-year-old coming to me complaining about pain in her arm. The only difference this time is that I don't have access to the one thing she needs and that's the _proper_ treatment!" Mallory yelled at him.

The three ducks were surprised to hear Mallory say 'brother'. None of them were expecting for the two redheads to be siblings. Nosedive carefully stepped up to Mallory, a curious look on his face.

"When were the two of you going to mention this?" he wondered.

"We weren't going to let the group know just yet, if at all but the situation had left us no choice," Mallory explained.

Sanyo growled as he stared his sister down. Nosedive thought that if looks could kill, both Mallory and Sanyo would be dead from each other's stare. None of them noticed Wilding step aside into the corner to answer his communicator.

"We've always hated saying that we're related since we tend to disagree on almost anything and everything," Sanyo added.

Nosedive gulped as he backed off. He did have some arguments with his own brother but he could tell that it was nothing this serious. Wildwing stepped up behind his brother and glanced between the two other siblings.

"I can see you two have differences to settle out but now is not the time. I just got news from the hospital and they're ready to take in Rene," Wildwing told them.

"I should go with her," Mallory piped up.

Sanyo glared at her and she noticed it immediately shot him an angry look.

"If I'm not mistaken Sanyo, I'm the one who is the expert about tytoxia and the doctors here need to know what they're dealing with. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to Wildwing for a moment," Mallory retorted.

"Tell me again why we're taking her to a human hospital," Sanyo requested.

When Mallory didn't answer, Tanya turned to him to answer.

"We're going to see if their methods to handle cancer will work since we don't have to right equipment and medications here," Tanya replied.

Sanyo watched Mallory as she began to walk away from the group, leading Wildwing into the corner. They quietly talked between each other, the others not hearing what they were saying. Wildwing gave a sigh, nodding before stepping over to the others.

"Mallory has something to do first before we leave. We'll meet you in the Migrator in a few minutes," Wildwing told them.

Nosedive and Tanya nodded in reply. Sanyo instead crossed his arms and aimed his eyes in another direction. He soon looked in Wildwing's direction and nodded. Mallory gave a tiny smile before they began to head downstairs.

00000

Grin carefully watched the three thieves. He noticed that all three of them had their own way in coping with the situation. Patrick was still sitting near the wall while Duke was pacing back and forth. Falcone was in the far end of his cell, not wanting to be anywhere near Patrick. Grin figured that Falcone didn't want to be attacked again.

"There's something I'd like to ask everyone," Grin suddenly said.

Three sets of eyes glanced in his direction, all curious to what the ducks was going to pose them.

"It seems that all of you have vastly different feelings that have been simmering under the surface for years now. Have you ever wondered if it would ever go away?" he wondered.

Duke looked over at Falcone, who crossed his arms. The one-eyed duck gave an angry sigh before turning back towards Grin.

"All the time," Duke replied.

"You sap! All this time we've never gotten along and you wish all the hatred could just go away?" Falcone protested.

"It's not your fault that Alicia died but you did leave me to die. I've hated you ever since for that but I don't want that to eat at me forever. I do have a daughter to think about now," Duke retorted.

Falcone gulped at the tone that Duke was using. His thoughts were soon interrupted when two figures stepped into view from behind Grin.

"Oh no, what brings you two here?" demanded Falcone.

Neither answered his question as Mallory stepped over towards Duke's cell and held up a key. She opened up the cell, allowing Duke to step out.

"What's this? Why is he allowed out? I protest!" Falcone wondered.

"He's going to be coming with us for a reason so don't think it's not important," Mallory replied.

Duke followed the two out of the room, glancing over his shoulder as he stepped around the corner. Once out of sight, he glanced in Mallory's direction.

"So how is she doing?" he wondered.

"Not good. We're just about to head to the hospital now," Mallory replied.

Duke nodded as the three climbed into the Migrator to be greeted by the others. He walked past them to Rene in the back. He held her hand as Tanya began to move the Migrator forward.

"Everything's going to be fine sweetheart. I just hope we're not too late," he quietly told her.

TBC…


	8. Discussions

Grin was quietly sitting in a chair outside the cells, carefully watching the two thieves inside them. Nothing had been said between them for the longest time. Falcone was in fear that Patrick would attack him again so he didn't dare get close to him or even talk to the duck. Patrick still wasn't in the mood for talking to anyone.

"How long is this going to keep up?" Grin finally piped up.

The two thieves glanced in his direction, wondering what he meant by that.

"Patrick, you can't stand to look at Falcone because he reminds you of all the things you've done. Falcone, you haven't dared to go anywhere near Patrick in fear that he's going to attack again," Grin replied.

Patrick gave a small sigh as he stood up and stepped towards Grin.

"Grin, I don't know how you guys can trust me after what I've done. I used to kill ducks for a living! I killed Duke's lover for crying out loud, left him for dead and separated him from his daughter! I don't know of a single soul that would ever forgive me for something like that!" Patrick yelled at him.

"The first step in the search for forgiveness isn't looking to others for it; it's looking to yourself and accepting what you've done," Grin told him.

Patrick was amazed at the words Grin told him. He narrowed his eyes, turning around enough to have Falcone in his sights.

"And it seems to me that Duke has already forgiven you for it. I have observed the others and their attitudes when they are around you and it appears that everyone seems relatively comfortable, even Mallory and Nosedive," Grin added.

Patrick lowered his head, noticing Alicia hovering behind Grin. She began to step towards him through the bars. He saw the slight sadness in her eyes.

"As much as I've tormented you for what you've done to Duke, Rene and myself, listen to him," she whispered.

00000

Wildwing, Mallory and Duke stepped into the hospital. Rene was wrapped in a blanket in her father's arms. They walked up to a nurse who was apparently waiting for them. She stepped forward as the three ducks stopped.

"You're here. Please come this way," she told them.

They began to follow her down the hallway. They glanced around the hallway, relieved they had come in the middle of the night for there was almost no one around besides the medical personnel.

"This is a very unusual situation for us," the nurse commented.

"We could say the same thing since this isn't a usual thing for us either," Wildwing said.

The two led the ducks into a private room where a doctor was waiting. Duke gently laid Rene on the bed.

"Wildwing, you'd better go check up on Nosedive and Sanyo. They're probably jumping out of their tail feathers ever since we told them to stay behind," suggested Mallory.

Wildwing nodded before walking out of the room. Mallory turned back to the doctor, who was waiting for an explanation to why they were there.

"She has a very rare cancer which is native to our home world. The problem is that we don't have the proper equipment or medication to treat it with here. We're hoping that maybe an Earth method would help her," Mallory explained.

The doctor thought for a moment as he looked over the unconscious Rene.

"This is a new experience for me, I have to admit. I'm not sure if anything would work. This cancer looks like it attacks the mind as well. I've never seen a cancer which makes the person fall unconscious," the doctor said.

"It can affect the conscious mind if one lets it go for too long," Mallory explained.

The doctor gave a sigh, scratching the back of his neck and perturbed to what to do next.

"One of the best suggestions I can give at the moment is chemotherapy but she looks like a minor, even by your standards. Unless I have the consent of a parent or legal guardian, my hands are tied," the doctor replied.

Mallory gave a small sigh before turning her stare to Duke, who had remained silent the entire time.

"I can take care of that. I'm her father," Duke quietly said.

The doctor nodded, glancing towards Rene before leading them out of the room.

00000

Patrick turned his stare back to Grin as the thief paced back and forth within the cell. The words that both Grin and Alicia recently spoke swirled through his mind and weren't planning on leaving anytime soon.

And he hated it so much.

Alicia remained quiet as she silently stepped into the corner, not wanting interrupt the conversation that was to come.

"You think it's that simple, don't you Grin?" Patrick finally asked.

Grin nodded as he waited for one of the thieves to continue. He wish was soon granted as Falcone stepped up to the bars.

"Why do you even need me here? This is all about Patrick, not me," protested Falcone.

"You may believe this doesn't concern you, but it does. Not saying you have but if you had done something to someone that you later regretted, wouldn't you want to seek the duck for their forgiveness? Maybe you should ask Duke about this," wondered Grin.

Falcone remained silent, barely making any indication that was going to do or say anything towards him or Patrick. Grin stepped up to cell, wondering if Falcone was going to say anything.

"Get away from me! I have to think!" Falcone snarled at him.

Grin narrowed his eyes, watching the thief pace back and forth within his cage. Falcone sat down in the corner, barely making any indication to anyone else around him. He stepped back to the doorway, and passed into the shadows of the next room, hoping that something would come out of his efforts.

00000

Duke silently sat beside Rene, who was transferred to her own private room. Worry wracked his mind for he didn't want to lose her so soon after reuniting with her. His mind wandered back to the days of the Brotherhood when voices outside the room soon broke his reverie. He slowly walked up to the door and cracked it open to see a man and a woman standing near the nurse's station.

"We heard a few of them were here, now where are they?" the man demanded.

"Who are you talking about?" wondered the nurse.

"We received news that members of the Mighty Ducks came in here several hours ago. As far as I know, they have no reason to ever come in here for they have very few friends here on Earth and I don't think they'd travel to a hospital in groups," the woman said.

Before the nurse could open her mouth to answer, a doctor walked up behind her and stared at the two people hovering beside the desk.

"What seems to be the problem?" the doctor wondered.

"We're from the local newspaper and we demand to see the Ducks. We know they came in here and we want to know why!" the man replied.

"I'm sorry to say that even if they were here, I wouldn't be able to tell you for confidentiality reasons!" the doctor explained.

The man growled, obviously not wanting to give this lead up. He grabbed the woman's arm and began to lead her down the hall.

"We'll be back! We will find out the truth and publish it! The people have a right to now!" the man yelled back.

The doctor remained calm as he watched the two fade out of view. The doctor headed towards the room as Duke opened the door.

"Thank you. That's the last thing we right now," Duke said.

"What I told them was correct. I can't tell them anything because of doctor-patient confidentiality. I wouldn't tell them anyway. Everybody doesn't need to know everything in someone's life. Now if you'll come with me, there's something I'd like to discuss with you," the doctor replied.

Duke stared in the direction the reporters went in as the doctor began to walk back towards the room.

TBC…


	9. Earth Shattering Decisions

Wildwing watched his younger brother pace back and forth inside the Ready Room. Mallory and Sanyo sat in chairs several feet away from each other while Tanya watched the two sets of siblings from the door. The air between everyone at the Pond had become very tense over the last few weeks. Inwardly, Wildwing was relieved that it was the off-season for he knew there would be a lot of questions.

"Now what are going to do 'Wing? Things are apparently going nowhere with Falcone and Patrick while we can only wait to see what happens with Rene," Nosedive wondered.

Wildwing remained silent, unsure how to respond to his brother's remarks. Mallory stood up, a slightly unsure look on her face.

"There's really nothing we can do but wait. Many of us have our own suffering to deal with whether it is Patrick, Duke, Falcone, Sanyo or I," she suddenly blurted out.

Sanyo watched her as she moved towards the door. He thought to himself for a moment before quickly standing and running to grab his sister's elbow.

"You really think I have problems when it comes to this?" he wondered.

"Sanyo, for the last 20 years you've been obsessing about Thief au Combat and his exploits. You may be the older brother but you sure don't act like it sometimes. You always crave to know more than what you are able to get! There's only one thing I have to say about this and that's get over it!" Mallory retorted.

Sanyo growled. He stepped towards his younger sister and it appeared he wanted to strangle her when Nosedive stepped in between the two.

"I may be stretching out on a limb here but shouldn't we be more worried about Duke and his problems? I mean, his daughter's dying plus we've still got Falcone here and Duke wants to kick his guts. Not only that, we've had the press down our necks over this. I don't know about you guys, but I find it annoying," Nosedive said.

All the ducks gaped towards Nosedive as he walked out of the room. Wildwing stepped towards Tanya, who watched the younger duck.

"That is not my little brother," Wildwing stated.

"Wildwing, it seems like he's been changing ever since Patrick, Sanyo and Rene have come to Earth. But he is right about the press. They've been breathing down our necks for days now. They know something is amiss," Tanya mused.

Wildwing nodded in reply as he began to hurry after his brother.

00000

Duke silently sat in a chair as Rene serenely slept in the bed. He was trying to put his mind at some sort of rest but it wasn't working too well. For Duke, the last time he had felt this way, it was right after the attack by Combat all those years ago.

"It's all so weird for me. I feel like my heart has been ripped out all over again," Duke muttered to himself.

Duke climbed to his feet and began to pace back and forth. He placed a hand over his beak, wondering what the future held. The anxiety was beginning to set in.

Normally, he had patience.

It was a necessity for a thief but he found that patience was slowly growing thin. After several long moments, Duke decided he needed to get some fresh air. Just as he was about to head out the door, he heard a groan from the bed. Elation filled the former thief as he turned his head enough to stare at the bed.

"D…Duke?" croaked a strangely familiar voice.

"Rene, you're awake! I amazed. These Earth methods even work on alien cancers," Duke cried.

The young duck gave a weak smile as she stared at him through barely opened eyes. She tried to talk but Duke hushed her before she could say anything else.

"You should not worry about anything except getting better," he quietly told her.

She closed her eyes just as Duke heard loud voices outside the room. As he headed towards the door, he began to feel the floor shake beneath his feet. Fear filled his mind as he managed to turn around.

"Not an earthquake! Not now!" he cried out.

He rushed back over to the bed and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder as the shaking increased all around him.

00000

Nosedive stepped into his quarters and thought for a moment on what he said. He groaned slightly, placing a hand over his eyes.

"Oh man! That was so stupid! After what she did, I never thought I'd be defending her. I guess I was wrong," Nosedive said.

He soon heard a knock come to his door and it opened to reveal Wildwing.

"Hey big bro, what's up?" Nosedive asked.

"I was wondering if you were all right," Wildwing responded with a worried voice.

Nosedive gave a small snort as he turned away from his brother and began to walk away. Wildwing grabbed his brother's shoulder and twirled him around.

"Nosedive, I know you've been acting differently since those three arrived on Earth. Everyone's worried about you. Have they fascinated you with something?" Wildwing demanded to know.

Nosedive gave a sigh and began to open his beak to answer when a loud crack caught their attention. The two brothers backed up as the walls began to tremble around them. It felt like an eternity. As it began to subside, a soft beeping caught their attention. Wildwing answered his communicator to find Tanya on the other end.

"What is it Tanya?" Wildwing demanded.

"Mallory's talking with hospital personnel right now. It sounds like there's been quite a bit of damage there. They're trying to transfer patients but it's not working too well. Also, it seems some rubble is blocking Rene's room so they're unable to get in there. They're nowhere to be found so they didn't get out," Tanya explained.

"We should go help them. Tell Grin to go get Patrick. We'll need all the help we can get," Wildwing replied.

"But… but what about Falcone?" protested Tanya.

Wildwing didn't say anything right away, a bit unsure what to say. He hoped he could find the words.

"He's not worth anything to us anymore. Let him go," Wildwing soon replied.

He quickly gave his brother a look that 'we'll finish this later' before they ran out of the room.

00000

Grin hurried downstairs to be greeted by the usual blank stares. He pressed a button by the door to allow the doors to slowly creak open.

"What's the matter now?" Falcone demanded.

"We need Patrick's help. You, on the other hand are now considered dead weight," Grin explained.

Falcone gave a shocked look as he found himself being led out of the room. Patrick reluctantly followed him, finding himself eager to help after what just happened.

"We have gotten word from hospital officials that Duke and Rene are nowhere in sight and people are stranded," Grin quietly replied.

Patrick found he had to stop in his tracks. The words ran through his mind so many times so quickly, he lost count almost immediately. Three words were soon left in his mind altogether.

Rene, Duke, nowhere.

"Wait for me!" he called after Grin.

00000

Duke tried to open his eye. When he managed to, he found himself on the floor and surrounded by rubble. He coughed a few times before remembering what happened. He looked over at Rene, who was curled up on the bed. Duke noticed that a thin layer of dust filled her entire body as he tried to make it to her bedside. He gritted his teeth, stifling back a cry of pain.

It was at that moment he felt something heavy lying on his foot. He looked down to find a piece of the ceiling had fallen onto the lower part of his leg.

"Oh perfect. I'd love to say this couldn't get any better but I know something would happen as soon as I said it," he muttered.

TBC…


	10. A Change of Heart

The Ducks ran up to the building and surveyed the scene. They saw the people running around the area, transferring people into ambulances. Wildwing stepped forward as a nurse noticed them. She hurried over to them.

"I'm afraid we have some bad news. We are still unable to get into the room of your friends. Several things moved enough to prevent us from getting in there. We've tried calling their names with no response," the nurse quietly told them.

"That is bad. We're going to have to figure out how to get inside and get them out before reporters find us," Wildwing mused.

Patrick moved towards the building, eying the way it had moved and was now moving towards it. Mallory carefully watched him, wondering what was going through his mind.

"I have an idea," he piped up.

"And what would that be?" wondered Tanya.

"If I could myself and one other inside, we could get those two out with very few if no one seeing us," Patrick explained.

Wildwing nodded, agreeing with the idea. He glanced back at the others, wondering if any of them would volunteer. He was mildly surprised when Nosedive stepped forward.

"I'll do it," he said.

Wildwing didn't say anything as Sanyo stepped towards the younger duck.

"I've known Rene longer, it should be me!" Sanyo protested.

"Give me a break! I didn't see you volunteer!" Nosedive snorted.

They growled at each other before Patrick stepped in between them, a hand on his forehead. He gave a sigh, his eyes closed.

"I'm not in the mood to argue. Nosedive, are you ready?" Patrick replied.

He nodded before the two ran towards the building while the others hurried to help free others from the wreck. Mallory carefully watched the two before hurrying after them.

00000

Patrick stared at the wall of the building as did Nosedive. The teen turned his attention towards the thief to see what the plan was going to be. His question was answered when Patrick lifted his arm and a grappling hook shot into the sky before grabbing Nosedive around his waist. They began their ascent and soon came to the window they were looking for.

Nosedive slowly climbed into the room, followed by Patrick. They quickly began to make their way through the room when Nosedive saw Rene still lying in the bed. He hurried over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Rene?" he questioned.

Nosedive didn't hear any sounds nor felt any movements, making him believe that she was indeed dead. He began to turn away when he finally heard a moan.

"Nosedive, is that actually you?" Rene managed to say.

"Yeah, Patrick and I are here to help," Nosedive replied.

He hurried back over to her as Patrick began to search the room. The thief soon came across Duke, who had his eyes closed. As Patrick moved toward him, Duke quickly grabbed his wrist. He stared at the dark-haired duck and sighed in relief.

"It's about time," Duke muttered.

Patrick nodded as he began to lift the rubble from off Duke's leg. Before helping Duke to his feet, Patrick moved towards the window to help Nosedive, who was now carrying Rene. Her teacher noticed that Rene had her arms limply around Nosedive's neck.

"Rene, just remember to hang on and Nosedive, don't let her go," Patrick reminded him.

Nosedive nodded as he grasped onto the rope and slowly made his way down to the ground. He glanced down to see Mallory patiently waiting for him.

"Good, she's alive," she sighed.

"So is Duke. Patrick's helping him out right now," Nosedive said.

Mallory looked upwards again, hoping that nothing would happen.

00000

Patrick helped Duke climb to his feet. Duke grimaced, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. The two headed over to the window and watched the scenes below. A few fire trucks were surrounding the area and he was relieved.

"I just hope they got quickly got Rene out of here," Duke muttered.

Patrick nodded in agreement before placing a hook in the wall just outside the window. They were prepared to leave when they heard a cry in the distance. Patrick looked in the direction that it was coming from to see a young woman beyond the slightly ajar door.

"Could you wait here for a moment?" Patrick asked.

He ran off before Duke could reply. The former thief watched as Patrick leapt over the rubble and reached the woman.

"Thank goodness you came! I was worried that no one would!" she cried.

"We're not out of this yet," Patrick replied.

She climbed to her feet and the two ran back into the room, where Duke was waiting for them. Patrick moved back a few steps, motioning them to leave. Duke shook his head, unsure how to react.

"I'll be fine, now go!" Patrick yelled at them.

He watched as Duke began to move out the window when something hard hit him on top of the head, making him see a world of black.

00000

Patrick groaned, slowly feeling his body again. He managed to climb to his feet and open his eyes. He placed a hand on his head, wondering what had indeed hit him.

"Combat," a recognizable voice called out.

Patrick twirled around to see Alicia standing several feet away from him. He gulped, beginning to back away from her.

"You get away from me!" he yelled at her.

"You have the wrong idea this time. I have not come to haunt your dreams as I usually have, I have come to talk," Alicia replied.

Patrick shook his head, not believing her. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly took notice of a strangely familiar building.

"Digit San. I'm back on Puckworld, but how?" he barely managed to say.

"You're not physically back. We're only in your mind," she explained.

The thief was horrified, his mind drifting to the countless possibilities. He began to shake his head, hoping the one sticking out in his mind did not truly happen: that he had died.

"No, you're not dead, simply unconscious. Thief au Combat, I've come to tell you that you're not going to be bothered by me anymore," Alicia told him.

Patrick narrowed his eyes in total disbelief as he began to slowly walk towards her. She slightly tensed up but didn't move as he began to circle her.

"You have been haunting me for 17 years, more so after I took Rene in. What's with the change of heart now?" he wondered.

She gave a sigh, not even looking in his direction. To him, it looked like she didn't want to anytime soon.

"You may have killed me, seriously injured Duke and raised Rene in one of the worst settings possible, you have shown me over this time that beneath the rough exterior of yours, you do care. I've been watching and waiting. I've seen all the things you've been doing for her and what I saw today changed my mind completely. You risked your life to save my daughter and her father, despite the fact you tried to kill both of them years ago," Alicia finally explained.

Patrick stared at her in total disbelief, unsure what to say and how to thank her. All of a sudden, it felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He didn't understand why but he was enjoying it.

"I don't know how to thank you. I've been carrying this guilt for so long," Patrick whispered.

"It's not just me. It's also Duke that's forgiven you but I'm afraid that Falcone is terrified of you now," Alicia replied.

Patrick's gaze turned around to stare at Digit San for one last look. She walked up to his side and joined him.

"Now that I've told you what I wanted to, you have to leave. You still have work to do," Alicia told him.

As soon as she said that, Patrick could feel the pain swirling through his body. He groaned as he felt himself being pulled in several directions.

00000

"Look, he's over there!" Wildwing called.

He hurried over to the fallen duck's side, followed by Grin, Sanyo and Tanya. They pulled the rubble over Patrick's back before Grin slowly turned him onto his side.

"Patrick, can you hear me?" asked Tanya.

A moan escaped the beak of the injured and his eyes barely opened. His vision barely registered the four standing around him.

"I'm back on Earth. It doesn't matter for it's all over," he muttered.

All were confused before they swiftly made their way out of the building with the injured duck. Along the way, Grin contemplated about the conflict that Patrick had for so long.

'_I wonder what he meant by that. Maybe he had a revelation,'_ he thought.

TBC…


	11. Worlds Apart

Patrick quietly groaned, trying to open his eyes but couldn't. He heard familiar voices filling the area around him but his couldn't distinguish one from another until he heard one talking directly to him.

"Thief au Combat, we have much to discuss," the female voice said.

His eyes shot open and flew up in bed. Hands pushed him back onto the warm sheets and he realized who was surrounding him.

"I knew that would get him up. I've figured he probably doesn't want to hear that name anymore," Mallory said.

"You're right, I don't. I'm going to get you back for that little joke but forget about that. How are Duke and Rene?" he barely asked.

"They're fine. She's in another hospital, continuing to give her the treatments. The way I understand it, the floor's going to be under tight security until she's out. He's got several cuts and bruises besides the broken leg. Both of them should be well soon enough," explained Wildwing.

Grin watched the former killer give a sigh of relief before finally closing his eyes. The giant duck wondered why there was such a peaceful look on Patrick's face until he realized what it was probably from.

'_My suspicions are correct. He must have made peace with his past. I'm glad,'_ he thought.

00000

Duke hobbled into his room on the crutches as Grin followed behind him with Rene. The former thief sat down in a chair, appearing very relieved.

"I am so glad to be out and to see Rene alive!" he sighed.

"As are we all," Grin told him.

He placed her onto the bed and began to walk out of the room. Before he stepped out the door, he turned around to look at Duke.

"Duke, be prepared for some company later. I expect they'll be here soon," Grin said.

"I expect everyone to come at some point to check up on us," Duke replied.

"Just remember that the obvious can't always mask the underlying truths in this world. The visitor I'm expecting may not be exactly who you're expecting," Grin told him

Duke gave a somewhat confused look as Grin gave a small smile before heading out the door. He wondered how things were going to go now.

00000

_Duke found himself on the streets of Puckworld. He wondered how he had gotten here so quickly and without the use of a gateway generator._

"_I think I'm dreaming of home again. It's the only explanation," he muttered._

_He placed a hand on his head as he turned around to see a familiar face and sight. Alicia walked up to him, a sad look on her face._

"_Alicia," Duke barely whispered._

"_Duke, I can't stay long. I wanted to tell you one last thing," Alicia whispered._

_Duke barely heard what she said as he stepped towards her. She began to move away and this action confused him_

"_Take good care of her. She really hopes to be just like you. She's looked up to you for years now," Alicia quietly told him._

_He nodded, the tears forming in his eyes. She finally allowed him to pull her into an embrace and he didn't want to let her go. Alicia reluctantly placed her arms around him before pulling away from him._

"_Duke, you know it can't be like this anymore. Take care of her and watch out. I sense something coming," Alicia told him._

_A sad look appeared on Duke's face as he watched her walk away and slowly disappeared into thin air._

"_Alicia!" he cried out._

00000

Duke woke up in the chair, the sweat pouring down his face. He twirled his head towards the bed to see Rene still sleeping soundly. His mind slowly made out his other surroundings as a knock came to the door.

"Come on in, the door's open!" Duke called out.

Nosedive slowly stepped into the room. Duke could tell that the teen was a bit nervous and wondered why.

"I wasn't expecting you. What's wrong Nosedive? You seem… apprehensive," Duke questioned.

Nosedive glanced towards Rene as he moved closer to Duke. He gulped, not knowing where to start. Duke soon gave him a look that said 'Nosedive, what is it?' The teen gave a deep breath, knowing he had to ask eventually.

"Duke…this is going to sound strange…" Nosedive started.

"I've seen plenty of strange things. What's on your mind?" Duke interrupted.

"Well, after Rene and I went after Falcone a few months ago, he mentioned how he was there the night that you were and Alicia were attacked," Nosedive continued.

"That's now an acknowledged fact Nosedive. Everyone knows that and the detail that I was hurt," Duke smirked.

Nosedive nodded, knowing that he knew this information. He wasn't sure how to continue with what he knew.

"Duke, he mentioned that you almost died the night that you lost your eye," Nosedive blurted out.

Duke's head snapped to attention, his gaze turned slightly to Rene. The fear began to well up inside him, unsure how his daughter would react. Nosedive noticed this reaction and wondered what was going through the former thief's mind.

"Nosedive, almost no one knew how I lost my eye. The others don't even know that's what happened. Falcone was the only one until he mentioned it to you and Rene…" Duke began.

"Well, not so much Rene. She was unconscious at the time," the teen put in.

Duke gave a small sigh of relief before continuing with his details.

"Thief au Combat nearly killed me, yes. That night, when I was running after Alicia to help her, he caught up with me and slashed at me four times with his saber. One of them hit my eye and it's also how I got the chip in my beak. Falcone knew that too and he knew how much I loved Alicia. I was _very_ despondent over her death and the supposed death of my child for weeks after that," Duke explained.

Nosedive remained silent, unsure how to respond to the information Duke was telling him. He watched as the thief placed a hand over the chip in his beak.

"You'll never know how it really feels to lose everyone you love in a matter of moments. You could consider it to be something similar to leaving Puckworld, only worse because you know everyone you left behind is still alive," Duke told him.

Nosedive gulped, feeling slightly guilty that he brought up the subject. Duke lowered his head, almost in tears and he didn't want the teen to see him do something like this. Nosedive took this as his cue to leave as he began towards the door.

"I'd better go, Wildwing's probably wondering where I am," Nosedive replied.

Duke nodded as he watched Nosedive reach the door. As he was about to walk out, the teen turned around to take one last at Duke and Rene, giving a sad look before completely stepping out.

With his back against the wall next to Duke's quarters, Nosedive thought about what he was told.

'_Better not tell the others about this,' _Nosedive thought.

He began to head back to his room, hopped onto his bed, grabbed a comic and began to flip through the pages before his mind went back to the time he first met Rene and all the time he spent with Duke. He thought that maybe he had judged her too quickly.

'_There's more to them than meets the eye,' _Nosedive said to himself.

The End

Well, there you go. Hope you enjoyed it (And please pardon the pun at the end.)


End file.
